Monday, September 30, 2019

Equal in the workplace for men and women Essay

First of all, I find it imperative to emphasize the characteristics that make women and men so different. It’s more than obvious that by nature’s default, women and men were given different features. In fact, people are having their own particularities that make each individual unique. Only known facts so far, but what I need to say is that these natural differences can’t be allowed to be the reason of social discrimination. And if the education system has become more and more efficient, providing women the opportunity to learn and specialize in many fields, statistics still say that the number of excellent specialists is smaller for women than for men. But we must ask ourselves why this is happening. Could women be less native gifted? Or could it be the social pressure that doesn’t allow them to express themselves? Or may the statistics research have been made by the men who do not wish to lose their supremacy? It’s difficult to answer. And even if women have better scores when it comes to school, men are always ranked better and have a higher prestige. For example, a male engineer is often more appreciated than a female engineer. Next, work is still discriminating for the two sexes, even if the discrimination is not an official one. These inequalities are also present in the private life, as women are the victims of a pervert social progress. For example, even if women are more independent in their couple life, there will be more single and divorced women due to that. One of them could be the fact that working women don’t have time for a successful private life. Another reason could be the fact that some men feel intimidated by some women’s qualities and can’t stand being inferior to them. At the same time there is a fragile compatibility between motherhood and career and the family policies that exist encourage women to give up working for a domestic way of living. This way, women find themselves forced to give up their independence. But even a family life without having children means compromise to women. It’s natural for the women who have a full-time job not to have the strength to do all that housewives do. The woman’s duties at home are more numerous than the men’s, but at the same time, the equality between women and men  force them to work the same time and way at their jobs. This situation is due to the fact that there are still a lot of men who think in the terms of the patriarchate system. There are also men who treat women socially right, but this situation isn’t quite the happiest, as they somehow forget their manners or act thinking something like: † If we’re equal and we do our own laundry, why should I hold her coat or open the door for her?!† This is also an abnormal situation. While in the first case the problem was that women were equal to men only when it came to work, in the second one the issue is about the equality that takes away women’s right of being respected as women. Women have entered the workforce and have risen in the ranks, but they still haven’t become male clones. Indeed, men and women can be just as different in the professional world as they are in their personal lives. What executives are just beginning to understand is that these differences can be great for business. Women and men are not equal in the workplace. The differences between constitutions In general, men are more interested in objects and things rather than people and feelings. They like doing things by themselves is a symbol of efficiency, power and competence. A women value love, communication, beauty and relationships. A woman’s sense of self is defined through their feelings and the quality of their relationships. They spend much time supporting, nurturing and helping each other. They experience fulfillment through sharing and relating. Opportunities for promotion I will tended to promote more men than women. I would even generally given men higher salaries. Why? Am I sexist? Do men do a better job? The answer is a resounding no to both. Actually, it is mostly women’s fault. They are too shy and simply don’t ask for raises or promotions as often as men do. Most bosses won’t fire you for saying you’d like to move ahead. Very often bosses don’t even think about who should be advanced and who shouldn’t. They’re busy juggling too many things. You have to sell them on the idea of promoting you. Gender Discrimination Although there are regulations within the workplace there is still discrimination. Women are facing discrimination in their income, unemployment and occupational distribution. Women’s salaries average only 72-88% to men’s salaries. Many types of discrimination in the workplace are partly to blame for the wage gap. Allocate discrimination describes the phenomenon that women are differentially allocated to occupations and establishments that pay lower wages. Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is a clear form of gender discrimination based on sex, a manifestation of unequal power relations between men and women. An employer forcing an employee to perform sexual favors in exchange for some reward or to avoid negative consequences. Women should not use overt sexuality to get ahead. Occasional mild flirting may have its place, but to be taken seriously, focus on business. Look professional and attractive but not sexy. The same goes for men. Guys who dress too flashily likewise aren’t taken seriously, except in the entertainment world. Women and men are equal in the workplace Equal opportunity in education In the modern world, female and male have equal opportunity for education. Therefore, the knowledge of women will not less than men even more than men. So now in the society, there have a lot of women university graduates. In the past, most of the engineers, doctors, lawyers and businessmen are men while tailors, nurses and teachers are women. The principle are does not to be change. But now they have equal opportunity for education and knowledge so the careers of engineers, doctors, lawyers and businessmen are no longer for mens’ world and women can be also as good in these occupations than men even better than men. Hence, women have an ability to complete with men in the workplace. More careful, calm and conscientious More of the employer prefer to hire women in the work, especially in calculation field because women have more careful, calm and conscientious. Most of the men are more impatient, they do not pay attention to details. As long as there is something get wrong they will feel very irritable. So man’s patience will be less than women. When you cannot deal the things calmly,  the thing will getting more complicated. Therefore, woman’s carefulness, calmness and conscientious will better than man. Mentally strong Women must have strong mental to handle their work. That is because, in the work place they need to challenge with men. They need to become a super woman to secure their ability, position and a lot of pressure from the workplace. When they go back home, they need to change their mental to become a loving mother and gentle wife. In addition to, they need to do a lot of housework and take care about their family. And they do not put any pressure to home from the workplace and do not vent pressure to their family. So women need have strong mental than men to handle it. That is why, women can equal with men in the workplace. Entrepreneurs in business Nowadays, many women have an ability to earn money and be independent in the competitive society. Women have rely on their own ability, interpersonal relationships, knowledge and effort to be a successful entrepreneurs in their own business.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Final Stages Of World WAr II In 1945

During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against Japan in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After six months of intense strategic fire-bombing of 67 Japanese cities the Japanese government ignored an ultimatum given by the Potsdam Declaration. By executive order of President Harry S. Truman the U. S. dropped the nuclear weapon â€Å"Little Boy† on the city of Hiroshima on Monday, August 6, 1945,[1][2] followed by the detonation of â€Å"Fat Man† over Nagasaki on August 9. These are the only attacks with nuclear weapons in the history of warfare. [3] Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki,[4] with roughly half of the deaths in each city occurring on the first day. The Hiroshima prefectural health department estimates that, of the people who died on the day of the explosion, 60% died from flash or flame burns, 30% from falling debris and 10% from other causes. During the following months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness. A plausible estimate of the total immediate and short term cause of death, 15–20% died from radiation sickness, 20–30% from flash burns, and 50–60% from other injuries, compounded by illness. [5] Since then, more have died from leukemia (231 observed) and solid cancers (334 observed) attributed to exposure to radiation released by the bombs. [6] In both cities, most of the dead were civilians. [7][8][9] Six days after the detonation over Nagasaki, on August 15, Japan announced its surrender to the Allied Powers, signing the Instrument of Surrender on September 2, officially ending the Pacific War and therefore World War II. Germany had signed its unavoidable[2] Instrument of Surrender on May 7, ending the war in Europe. The bombings led, in part, to post-war Japan adopting Three Non-Nuclear Principles, forbidding the nation from nuclear armament. [10] The role of the bombings in Japan's surrender and the U. S. ‘s ethical justification for them is still debated. [11]

Saturday, September 28, 2019

China accounting standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

China accounting standards - Essay Example The accounting standards determine the procedure for preparation of financial statements which produces information like business revenues, expenditure, net income, assets, liabilities and the wealth of the stakeholders. Overview: Chinese Accounting standards China has its own system of accounting standards that is maintained in the land of China. The accounting standards of China are composed basic standards, specific standards and application guidance. There are thirty-eight specific standards that are followed in the Chinese accounting standards. During the socialist period, the government of China was the sole owner of the industry. The accounting standards of China are unique as it developed during the socialist regime and is tailor made to the objectives of the Chinese economy. The Chinese accounting standards are intended to focus less on the information of profit and loss. The accounting standards differ from the western accounting standards in terms of providing guideline on information on inventory of the industries. In comparison to the western accounting standards, the Chinese accounting standards are intended less towards accounting of debt of a corporation (Coulaud,  Schulz and  Debilliers, 2008). ... Moreover, the Chinese economy underwent reforms and achieved rapid progress in industrial development. This created the need of revising the accounting standards of China in order to create a competitive ground with the international accounting standards. In 2006, the government of China passed a new accounting law in joint consultation with the ministry of finance, the international accounting standards committee and the representative from the Chinese economy. With a view towards the emerging scenario of integration of international trade with the Chinese trade, the accounting standards of China adopted several standards recommended by the International accounting standards board. In order to align the information on the business performance of China through financial statements and reports and to allow a platform for comparison of the Chinese business with the top listed companies all over the world, the accounting standards of China adopted several features of the international a ccounting standards. The financial reporting procedure was replaced by the international financial reporting standards. The financial reporting criteria helped to compare the financial statements of the Chinese company with the rest of the world which added a significant feature in the era of globalization (Avery,  Zhu and  Cai, 2009). The alignment of the financial reporting standards adopted by China to the International accounting standards is about 95%. Impacts of changes in Chinese accounting standards The changes in the accounting standards of China for preparation of financial statements and accounts have created major impacts on the ways on financial accounting and generating annual reports of the Chinese companies. His has also paved the path of

Friday, September 27, 2019

Justice & Pluralism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Justice & Pluralism - Essay Example (Baker, 1997 & Kymlicka, 1995) J.S. Furnivall was the first known person to coin the term pluralistic society and distinguish as a separate form of society. A Banker by profession, he had travelled a lot particularly to the colonial Far East where he discovered the wide range of culture and ethnic diversity that existed within that society. He described his experience and observation in the following words â€Å"in the strictest sense, a medley for they mix but do not combine†. As Furnivall tried to convey his idea and observation of a society that is a cultural melting pot, similarly this prose incorporates the same ideology and tries to observe pluralism in the light of justice and the importance of establishing a state that is beyond religion or religious beliefs. (Baker, 1997 & Young, 1979) Justice and pluralism have a high correlation and for a just system to be established in a society, social pluralism must prevail. The depth of their relationship will be further elabor ated. However, the following parts of the prose will discuss and analyze the philosophy and science of social pluralism; its essence and importance in order to establish social order in the society. Pluralism is generally a philosophical term; however the term has now become synonymous with social and political science as well. During the last few decades, political and social scientists have carried out intense debates regarding the validity of a pluralistic analysis and evaluation of modern societies. (Conn, 1973) The argument presented against pluralistic interpretation of the society is vastly polemic and based on abstract. As researches continue to study the phenomenon extensively and produce copious amounts of data on the subject; however, the subject of pluralism remains in the shroud of ambiguities. Pluralism is in fact a multifaceted phenomenon and there has been numerous that, if not completely elucidate the subject but does provide sufficient amount of insight. M. G. Smit h, a renowned social scientist has been known for organizing the concept that made Social pluralism a central concept in the society. He defined pluralism as the division of the society into small units on the basis of race, culture, ethnicity, language and language. These units were politically meaningful and this stratification of society was responsible determining or influencing people’s behaviour in a society. (Quong, 2004, 43-67) These units later evolve into sophisticated corporate units that were responsible for the amount of wealth a society generates and the level of discord. However, on the down side the more stratified a society became the likelihood of collective violence and discord amongst the units increased. The prime focus of studies was on the correlation between collective violence and a pluralistic society and he stated: â€Å"Having spent my life trying to clarify the conception of pluralism, I now wish to test and demonstrate its relevance for the solu tion of many urgent problems in the modern world. To that end I have compiled information on the demographic, economic, social and political characteristics of all sovereign nation-states, together with such detailed records as I can gather of internal

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Islam Advocates for Equal Rights of Sexes Research Paper

Islam Advocates for Equal Rights of Sexes - Research Paper Example According to the research paper "Islam Advocates for Equal Rights of Sexes" findings, gender imbalance and thus subordination of women cuts across every area of life and across all communities on the planet. If we look at the West, for instance, it is expected that women be given equal positions to men. The truth is, while they are now enjoying equal rights to men, this has not been the case for a long time. Their liberation, in other words, just started a few years ago. Some time back, the United Stated of America had a potential female presidential candidate. While there were chances that she could lead and had the potential to lead the country to greater heights, myriad excuses were presented just to bar her from running the race. While the US, apparently, is the developed country that is said to be the most liberal when it comes to civil rights and freedom of the sexes, it is ironical that over 50% of the country’s population are not ready to have a woman presidents, in sp ite of having over 44 presidents, all men (Streb 80). The above discussion shows that women are in general treated as lesser beings to men, in every society if we say so. While the teaching of Islam does not condone the idea, Arabic customs do and that is what most people mistake for Islam. A situation where most gender imbalance is felt is definitely in the division of labor. According to the Holy Qur’an, there are roles that are best suited for either gender. Biologically, men are stronger than women.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The film Little Big Man Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The film Little Big Man - Essay Example These include the contrary warrior, the two-spirited person and the grandfather. These are entities of the Cheyenne that occupy their ordinary life. In portrayal of the two-spirited warrior, the sculpture emanates from the view of the little big man. It is vital to note that the young crab grows to become a successful warrior in the Cheyenne army. The younger bear, who is the contrary warrior, creates enmity with the little big man (Grant 98). The fundamental portrayal of the contrary warrior concerns the fact that nature stems from the fact that they are rebellious spirits. Their rebellion seems to stem from an injustice that they witness around them. This injustice may have trivial or concrete reasons. In the younger bear’s case, he seems to be envious of the little big man’s success. In turn, he strives to convince his society of his inner prowess. This does not bear success, in the short run, and he becomes frantic at the same. It comes as a further blow when the little big man saves him from a Pawnee warrior. The contrary warrior comes across as a superb portrayal of prowess in war and life skills. In this sense, the contrary warrior would walk on his hands around the camps. In addition, he would be able of extraordinary skills of riding the horse backwards. He would be able of turning their arches for backward shooting of arrows. Whenever he could come across a stream, he would lift his moccasin and hop through the water. His rebellion focused on doing the opposite things during wars. This would be both beneficial and counterproductive to wars. In spite of the contrary warrior’s struggles at seeking recognition, he is the same. This proves the same when he saves the little big man from Custer’s pistol. The grandfather shares a positive portrayal in the film story. He surfaces in the same when he saves the little big man and Caroline from the wild. It is vital to note that the Pawnee warriors are a dangerous group

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Aristotle and relationships at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Aristotle and relationships at work - Essay Example Happiness, to Aristotle, can easily be misjudged. Aristotle thought that people think happiness is a result of virtue, and through virtues like honor, pleasure and reason a human being can achieve happiness. But, according to Aristotle, this is not so: the pursuit of these does not equal happiness but leads one away from happiness. In actuality, happiness is achieved through self-sufficiency. But Aristotle clarifies this in his Nicomachean Ethics: â€Å"Now by self-sufficient we do not mean that is sufficient by a man himself, one which leads a solitary life, but also for parents, children, wife and in general for his friends and citizens (Aristotle 7).† Man is born of citizenship and through the adherence to the people he loves he will find happiness. But Nicomachean Ethics goes on to describe self-sufficiency as â€Å"that which when isolated makes one desirable, and lacking in nothing: and such we think happiness to be (Aristotle 8).† Happiness within self-sufficienc y is the end of action, not the experience of doing right by close members of friends and family, but the result of these actions. To Aristotle, happiness also has a â€Å"snowball effect.† Happiness comes from continuous good actions, and though a couple small blunders won’t make someone unhappy, per se, it is the combined results of good deeds and general goodness one achieves self-sufficiency and happiness. Though it is easy for a man to be distracted by the unhappiness or happiness of his fellow man, Aristotle continually emphasizes the fact that self-sufficiency, an independent motivator, should take precedence and one shouldn’t be flummoxed by the successes or failures of people around him. This could lead to unhappiness, and this lack of focus often does. One can certainly apply these ideas of Aristotalian happiness to

Monday, September 23, 2019

The glass menagerie by tenesse williams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The glass menagerie by tenesse williams - Essay Example The play is full of imagery and symbolism. Williams uses the characters in the play as symbols themselves. Amanda Wingfield is a southern woman who got abandoned by her husband and is mother to Tom and Laura. In the most parts of the play, she spends her time reminiscing on her past. She also cuts across to the reader as a control freak who nags Tom and Laura by trying to control their every move in the family’s house. She is entirely dependent on Tom for their house rent but still dictates when it is appropriate to play music in the house, dismiss people from the dining table, and even offers her children advice on how they should chew food properly! The yellow dress and bathrobe get used by Williams to symbolize Amanda’s longing for her long gone past. She struggles to put aside her love for his husband who abandoned her. Tom acts as the play’s protagonist and narrator. As a character, he appears to be full of contradiction. Tom’s participation in the play depicts juvenile emotion. Tom is ambitious throughout the play as he works hard to provide for his family. He constantly expresses his love for writing poetry, reading literature, and even has dreams of abandoning his family just to get an escape and have adventure with life’s allure. He however appears bound to their house hold and the petty, squalid living it has to offer. He appears to care for both his mother and sister but becomes cruel to them at times. Even though his father abandoned the family, he draws influence from his absentee father’s family portrait in the household. He follows in his footsteps by abandoning Laura and Amanda at the play’s end leaving them shattered and devastated. Laura is the emotionally and physically crippled sister in the family. She cuts across as the only character in the play who is compassionate to everyone else by not hurting them. Her character is symbolic as she has the fewest lines in the lay

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Wake Up America! Essay Example for Free

Wake Up America! Essay Nowadays the issue of food is very important in American society as many people suffer from obesity, whereas others suffer from stomach pains and indigestion problems. Therefore, Americans should pay more attention to their everyday meals. As it is claimed, â€Å"the destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they are fed†. So, the popularity of slow food is increasing among nation because fast-food meals make people sick and, consequently, national character is changing as well. Eating shouldn’t be simply fueling up; moreover, it shouldn’t be done quickly and anonymously. People should refuse from French fries, fried beef and, certainly, Coke as all these products are health killers. Our food decisions influence us personally and even globally. Fast-food affects the country not only environmentally, but also politically and culturally. Eating health food shouldn’t be only elitist preoccupation; the government should pay more attention to make health food affordable for all people. (Walker 2006) It is interesting to note that even Presidents don’t pay attention to the food they are eating. The picture of Dixon when he pours ketchup on his cottage cheese is terrifying. In his turn, Bill Clinton instead of paying attention to doctor’s advises, neglects them and eats Big Macs. Our Presidents should be our example and they should be the first to promote health slow food. Maybe, we still lack awareness of the inevitable consequences of eating fast foods. (Trillin 2006) Meanwhile, there are people who suffer from hunger, while we are talking about fast food and slow food. They don’t have such choice as they can’t afford to but food, though they are provided with right to eat and to live. Brazil government feels responsibilities for these people and they have declared the health food course.America should do the same to improve the overall health situation in the country. (Lappe 2006) References Lappe, France Moore. (2006, August 24). A Right to Food? Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://www. thenation. com/doc/20060911/fmlappe Trillin, Calvin. (2006, August 24). Presidential Eating Preferences. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://www. thenation. com/docprem. mhtml? i=20060911s=trillin Walker, Alice. (2006, August 24). Slow Food Nation. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://www. thenation. com/doc/20060911/waters

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Geomorphology of Kuwait Essay Example for Free

Geomorphology of Kuwait Essay Kuwait is a Arabic state, which lies in the North-West corner of the Persian Gulf between 28o and 30o latitudes and between 46o and 48o longitudes. It shares a border with Iraq on the North and with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. On the East it is washed by waters of Persian Gulf. It’s total area makes 17,820 square kilometers. The climate is dry desert with hot summers and cool winters. The terrain is flat with the lowest point of zero above the sea level and the highest point of 306 above the sea level (the location is unnamed). Most of the territory is a desert with only about 1% used as arable lands and for growing permanent crops. A great part of the territory is occupied by the city El-Kuwait – the country’s capital. Other major towns include Jahrah, Salmiya, Shuwaikh and Hawalli. Irrigated lands cover 130 square kilometers. Natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, fish and shrimp. The country suffers from lack of fresh water, so it possesses one of the world largest distillation facilities. Other geographic problems include sudden sandstorms, which usually happen between March and August and heavy rains which are usual for the period from October to April . Historical and Current Geology of Kuwait The country’s relief has been formed in the recent Quaternary geological era. The southern part of the country rests on a long, north-oriented dome of limestone laying beneath the surface. It is here where oil resources of Kuwait can be found. The western and northern parts of Kuwait rest on layers of sand, gravel, silt, and clay, covering limestone to the depth up to 210 meters. This layers of sediments have been formed by dried-up riverbeds called the wadis. The greatest of the wadis is Wadi al Batin – a broad and shallow valley forming the northern frontier of the country. Limestone geological formations, especially in the places where they lay close to surface, are principle suppliers of water for Kuwait. In 1960 a large aquifer has been discovered in the western portion of Ar Rawdatayn geological formation, which is now used for distilled water production, covering most of the country’s needs. On the south from the city of Kuwait another water field has been discovered in the top of the limestone of the Ash Shuaybah. The water here is salty, so it is used mostly for agricultural and commercial needs. Where waters come close to the surface, oases appears, enlivening the landscape of Kuwait . Basic Geomorphologic Terrains of Kuwait Mainland Most of the Kuwait’s land has no remarkable geomorphologic features like high mountains, rivers, ridges or depressions. A sandy desert of the country is mostly flat, gradually slopping to the sea. Some researchers point, that the land is not really a desert, but rather a semi-desert, because in winter there is a notable vegetation sufficient to support camel herds. However, for most of the year it is really sandy. This landscape is broken by the ridge at Jal Al-Zor – a series of low hills and shallow depressions. The highest point of the ridge is 145 meters above the sea level. The ridge is cut into two by Umm Al-Ramam Wadi. The southern part of Kuwait is flat with exception of Ahmadi hill (137 m) . In the centre of the country it’s coast bends forming the Gulf of Kuwait, where the capital of the country lays. The sheltered waters of the bay create a number of salty marshes, lagoons, and mud flats. In the center of the gulf lays a small Umm an Namil Island. About 40 kilometers to the south from El-Kuwait lays 120 meters high Al-Adan ridge, a series of heights similar to Jal Al-Zor . Another remarkable geomorphologic terrain in southern Kuwait Sabkha deposits – a number of irregular closed lowland areas. Two different types of Sabkhas are recognized: costal sabkhas and inland sabkhas. The costal ones are situated mostly in the Al-Jailaiaha and Al-Khiran areas, being extended along a costal depression. Inland sabkhas are situated in the desert areas of Al-Maqwa, Urafjan, and Al-Gurain. On the Kuwait’s west. Both types of sabkhas are subjected to changes after sandstorms. They may be entirely filled with sand an disappears, and new sabkhas may appear. Based on the study of sands and presence of bones fragments in most of the sabkhas, it has been concluded, that most of the sediments in the sabkhas come from Al-Dibdibbah deposits from the Arabian Shield igneous and metamorphic rocks . Coastal Area The coast of Kuwait is divided into nine geomorphological potions, out of which four are lie along the northern muddy shoreline and five in the southern sandy area. The northern part includes large portions of bays, which are filled with water during high tides and for most of the time they are areas of muddy ground. They are limited by costal sabkhas or sandy drifts. Intertidal channels form sandbars near the waterlines . In contrast to this, the southern portion of the coat is characterized by steep sandy beaches, narrowed by wide rocky intertidal platforms, covered with sand and other sediments. In many places those rocky surfaces are dissected by intertidal channels and shallow gulleys. The low water line is marked by numerous sandbars. Sometimes they are formed in berms by waves . Costal Islands Kuwait’s territory includes eight major islands and a number of minor ones, situated in the northern and southern part of the country respectively. Along the southern part of Kuwait coast five minor islands are situated: Miskan, Awhah, Kubbar, Qaruh, and Umm Al-Maradem and one bigger island Faylakah, which is the only inhabited island of all. The islands are subjected to variable tiding conditions and winds and this preconditions their roundish shapes. The northern islands of Miskan and Awhah rest on a shallow platform which is a part of a larger Faylakah Island structure. The three southern islands rest on separate platform each which is most possibly of reef origin. Beach sediments of the islands consist of sand and biologic measures, which makes them similar to the shores of Kuwait mainland . The Faykalah island is situated 20 kilometers away from the coast near El-Kuwait and has quite a different ecosystem in comparison to the mainland. It is used mostly as a recreational zone because the Iraqi have depopulated the island during the invasion in 1991, so there are only few local residents living there. 16 kilometers south-east of Faykalah lays the Auhah Island, which is 800 meters long by 540 meters wide and uninhabited except for a lighthouse. 29 kilometers off of the coast of Faykalah the Kubbar Island is situated. It is almost round in form and has flat sandy surface. Separately stands a large island of Bubiyan, which, under it’s geomorphological conditions, is very much similar to Kuwait northern mainland It is separated by Khawr Abd Allah channel on the northeast and Khawr as Sabiyah channel on the north. The latter channel also separates it from Warbah Island, which is 15 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide and lays only a hundred meters away from the mainland. The surface of the island is a muddy flat. The Bubiyan is connected with the mainland by a concrete bridge, which is, however, for military use only. The terrain of the island is similar to the one of the northern Kuwait mainland. It is a flat desert and semi-desert area with shores being sandy or muddy. No remarkable depressions or heights exist on the island. Between Bubiyan and Faykalah lays the Miskan Island, which is uninhabited save for a lighthouse, but it is vital for the country as part of it’s defensive frontier. Other islands include Umm al Maradim which lays between Kuwait and UAE territorial waters. It is 1,5 kilometers long and 540 meters wide and is known for deep waters around it, which allow ships to safely anchor. 17 kilometers away from this island is Qaruh Island, which received it’s name after Qar – an Arabic name for petroleum sediments, great amounts of which can be found on the island. It is the smallest and the most remote island of Kuwait which is only 275 meters long and 175 meters wide. Works Cited: 1. 2007 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK. Kuwait (CD-ROM), Progressive Management, 20062. Francesca Davis Dipiazza. Kuwait in Pictures, Twenty-First Century Books, 2006 3. A. Al-Hurban , and I. Gharib, Geomorphological and sedimentological characteristics of coastal and inland sabkhas, Southern Kuwait, Journal of Arid Environments Volume 58, Issue 1, July 2004, Pages 59-85 4. Mohamed I. El-Sayed and Dhia Al-Bakri, Geomorphology and sedimentary/biosedimentary structures of the intertidal environment along the coast of Kuwait, north-western Arabian Gulf. International Journal of Earth Sciences. Volume 83, Number 2 / July, 1994

Friday, September 20, 2019

Risk Management in Business: A Case Study

Risk Management in Business: A Case Study INTRODUCTION SITUATION Every day, there is the chance that some sort of business interruption, crisis, disaster, or emergency will occur. Anything that prevents access to key processes and activities can be defined as a disaster. Companies can experience many different threats to their mission critical systems such as fires, floods, lightning storms and humidity to disgruntled employees, hackers, human error, power failures and viruses. A disaster can happen at any time and it is vital to be prepared in the event that one occurs. NEED To be prepared for a business interruption, the organization must have a carefully crafted and comprehensive plan that describes risks, impacts, and step-by-step recovery strategies for critical business processes in various disaster and emergency scenarios. Without a plan, the team will be flying blind when an interruption occurs. The plan provides the necessary tools to mitigate interruptions and resume operations as quickly as possible, greatly facilitating decision-making and taking action when there is scant time and stress levels are elevated. CHALLENGE Using the information in the risk assessment to create effective recovery strategies for critical processes in all departments, incorporating these strategies into a comprehensive business continuity plan, and encouraging ownership of the plan across the organization, and ultimately, achieving the highest resiliency possible with limited resources. SOLUTION Create the recovery strategies department-by-department, process-by-process. This allows each department to focus on strategies specifically relevant to their critical processes without extraneous information from other departments. Do the same for your business continuity plan, writing smaller plans by department. Also, use a template to document your recovery strategies to ensure process consistency across the organization. Finally, have plans reviewed and approved by department heads and distributed to all employees to encourage ownership and pride in the plan. RESULT Each department in the organization will have a comprehensive action plan for business continuity outlining the steps to take to recover vital processes in various emergency scenarios. All employees will have their own copy of the plan, ready to use immediately when a disruption occurs. Employees will take ownership of the organizations business continuity effort and this effort will be further ingrained in the organizations corporate culture. CHOCOLATE MANUFACTURING COMPANY AN OVERVIEW The Chocolate Company since inception in 1990 has been largely responsible for satisfying the countrys demand for Chocolates and Sugar Confectionery. Situated at Rusayl Industrial Estates in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, the plant has various lines producing a wide range of confectionery like Éclairs, Toffees, Fudges, Caramels, Hard Boiled Candy and Enrobed Chocolates. These products are available in attractive packaging and premium Gift Boxes making them ideal for gifting as well as for own consumption. Most of the packaging in the Gift Pack segment has been carefully selected to ensure its enduring utility, thereby giving our valued customers an added benefit. The confectionery is produced by experienced personnel under stringent quality control and hygiene standards. State-of-the-art manufacturing facilities ensure products of international quality. The company in its relentless pursuit of quality obtained HACCP Certification in April, 2004. The Company, through its uncompromising stand on quality and competitive pricing, has successfully penetrated countries all over the Gulf, the African continent, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, USA and the UK. The principal business processes involved are Procurement of raw materials and consumables. Production and Quality control. Distribution and marketing. Inventory Management. Pricing and cost control. Feedback from consumers and redressal systems. Publicity and promotional activities. Recruitment and HR. Finance Administration. Corporate communications and public relations. Legal and secretarial matters. Investor relations. Maintenance of equipment and other assets. Capital expenditure for equipment and other purposes. IT systems and telecommunications. Transportation and Logistics. Today, manufacturing sector companies like chocolate manufacturing operates in increasingly complex, competitive and global markets. The ability to manage risks across geographies, products, assets, customer segments and functional departments is of paramount importance. The inability to manage these risks can cause irreparable damages. Chocolate company will always face the likelihood of being impacted by uncertain or adverse future events. These uncertainties will have an impact on a companys ability to generate capital and shareholders returns. The company Board expects that management will not only look at where the company may be exposed to risk, but also how these risks can be managed to influence favorable business outcomes. RISK AND RISK MANAGEMENT Risk Management Methodology followed by the chocolate company The risk management methodology at the chocolate company encompass the scope of risks to be managed, the process/systems and procedures to manage risk and the roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in risk management. The framework is comprehensive enough to capture all risks that the company is exposed to and have flexibility to accommodate any change in business activities. The chocolate companys effective risk management methodology includes Risk Policy framework. Identification of risks. Measurement and Impact Assessment. Management of the risks. Monitoring Reporting and Control. A. Risk Policy Framework The following fundamental principles should be considered by the company to develop and implement a proactive risk management program and help them to identify any potential areas of concern: Acceptance of a risk management framework: A formal risk management framework is needed at this company, to guide the integration of risk management into the companys day to day operations. Corporate governance and risk: At this company,corporate governance is the prime responsibility of the Board of Directors and the General Manager. It combines legal duties with responsibilities to improve and monitor the performance of the company. Establish the risk response strategy: Following the agreement on the risk assessment rankings in all functional departments, management action will need to be taken to reduce the risk levels where they have been deemed unacceptably high or alternatively remove constraints where they are preventing the business from pursuing opportunities. Assigning responsibility for risk management change process: It is important for the company to ensure that the daily operation of the business supports this strategy and that the staff understands the proposed changes. Re-sourcing: Risk management is the responsibility of all levels of management. Communication and training: Implementing a communication and training program is important to introduce the concept of risk management. Monitoring of risk management process: To ensure that risk responses gaps are filled and that the risk responses continue to operate effectively and remain appropriate in light of changing conditions. B. Identification of Various Risks of The Company While drafting this Risk management Policy, the primary risk exposures at the company X that are identified is provided below, which are inclusive but not exhaustive and it will be the responsibility of the Risk Management Committee to review these on a periodic basis. I. Market Risks It is the risk that the value of the company will be adversely affected by movements in market rates or prices, foreign exchange rates, national global fluctuations, credit spreads and/or commodity prices resulting in a loss to earnings and capital. The market risks identified at this chocolate company are as follows Government Policy risks Product Risks Environmental risks Volatility of export orders Price Competition in the local export market Currency fluctuation for export orders II. Operational Risks The operational risks identified at chocolate company are as follows Fire Allied Risks Machinery breakdown/ obsolescence Volatility of Raw material Packing material prices Quality/ Ageing risks of Raw material/ Packing material Delivery risk of Suppliers Loss of data information- IT security Manpower Availability risks Accidents Inventory carrying risk III. Reputation Risks These are risks arising from negative public opinion resulting from failures of process, strategy or corporate governance. The Reputation risks identified at this company are as follows Contamination-hygiene Product expiry/Shelf life Corporate Governance IV. Credit Risks Non receipt of receivables or delay in receipts is the credit risks attributable to the company. These may be identified as Payment risk from customers-local Payment risk from Customers- export Security from customers Advance to Suppliers V. Liquidity Risks The possibility is that the company will be unable to fund present and future financial obligations. These may be identified as Cash flow working capital management CAPEX decisions Cost overruns VI. Strategic Risks Risk those are arising from adverse business decisions or the improper implementation of such decisions. These may be identified as follows Business Plan forecasts. Attrition of key people. C. Risk Prioritizing and Impact Assessment Risk Prioritizing To adequately capture institutions risk exposure, risk measurement should represent aggregate exposure of the company to both risk type and business line and encompass short run as well as long run impact on it. To the maximum possible extent the company should establish systems / models that quantify their risk profile. However, in some risk categories, quantification is quite difficult and complex. Wherever it is not possible to quantify risks, qualitative measures should be adopted to capture those risks. The company should utilize a Risk Matrix to evaluate the level of risks which are identified in the Company. The Risk Matrix is formed by assessing the probability of the risk, the severity of the risk, and the quality of control that exists specific to those risks. Scoring is attributed for each the three parameters namely probability, severity and Internal control. The aggregate score is computed and ranking of the risks is ascertained. The probability of the impact occurring is arranged ranging from low to high. Scores assigned as 4 for High, 2 for medium and 1 for low. Severity of the Risk is assessed as High, Medium and low based on the experience and normal prudence. Scores assigned as 4 for High, 2 for medium and 1 for low. Quality of Internal control is also similarly categorized as high, medium and low. The scores assigned in the reverse order since the better the existing control the lower is the impact and vice-versa. So scores here can be assigned as 4 for Low, 2 for Medium and 1 for High. Aggregate Score was thereafter computed after adding the individual scores for each parameter. Companys Risk Matrix using the above method is shown in Annexure I ii. Impact Assessment The company being a medium scale manufacturing unit should focus on the manageable risks like Operational risks, Liquidity risks and Strategic risks. Market risks, Credit risks and Reputation risks though an integral part of risk management may not need detailed impact assessment at this stage unless the probability of such factors seem to be out of proportions in time to come. Impact assessment of the Operational risks, liquidity risks and strategic risks at the company termed herein as Manageable risks, can be assessed as follows Risk associated with any event has two components, loss severity and loss probability. Loss, in itself consists of expected and unexpected components. The unexpected loss component could be severe or catastrophic. Usually, expected losses are adjusted for in pricing or in reserve allocation. Unexpected losses require capital allocation. Given that operational risk, liquidity and strategic risk events are most often subject to internal control, any manageable risk system that passively measures these risks would clearly be inadequate. Once risk factors are identified as likely causes of the Risk losses, mitigating steps need to be initiated. While quantification would indicate risk magnitude and capital charges, it may not by itself suggest mitigating steps. This makes it advisable for the company to combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to manageable Risk. The broad steps involved here would be: determine the types of operational losses that could occur identify the causal risk factors estimate the size and likelihood of losses Mitigate associated risks Qualitative Approaches Qualitative approaches involve Audits, Self-assessments Expert / collective judgment. Critical Self-Assessment: (CSA): This is one of the common qualitative bottom-up approaches where line managers of the company can critically analyze their business processes given specific scenarios to identify potential risks and gaps in their risk management processes. Tools like questionnaires, checklists and workshops are used to help the managers analyze the risk profile of their business units. The key idea behind this method is that businesses managers of this company are in the best position identify and manage the Operational Risks pertaining to their business units. Risk Audit Employing the services of external (or internal) auditors to review the business processes of a business unit is another approach. This process not only helps identify risks but also helps put in place the oversight organization for the manageable risks. Key Risk Indicators (KRI) Using the KRI approach the company can blend the qualitative and quantitative aspects of Operational Risk management. Factors that have predictive value and that can be easily measured with minimum time lag can serve as risk indicators. Some risk indicators inherently carry risk related information, for instance, indicators like sales volumes, order size, etc. Others are indirect indicators, for instance, production budgets, production lifecycle, performance appraisal etc. Key indicators are identified from several potential factors and are tracked over time. The predictive capabilities of the indicators are tested through regression analysis on historical loss data and indicator measurements. Based on such analysis, the set of indicators of the company being tracked can be modified suitably. Over time, as the model gets refined, the set of indicators can provide early warning signals for operational losses. D. Management of the risks Managing Market Risks: The chocolate company may be exposed to Market Risk in variety of ways as described earlier such as environmental issues, export orders, future contracts, Price competition, customer profile and marine transportation risks. Besides, market risk may also arise from activities categorized as off-balance sheet item. Government Policy Risks: Change in government policies, tax rates, introduction of new tax regimes, reduction or abolition of incentives etc carry risk to any entity in terms of its costing and pricing. In the short and medium term the company does not perceive any major risk in this segment, however the management has to be aware of any forthcoming changes that the government might envisage. Should there be any drastic change in Government policies that would affect its profitability especially in case of exports; the Company has contingency plans for producing at an alternative location outside Oman. Product Risks: Since the product is that of food item the company has to be 100% careful to maintain the product quality, product specification, pack sizes, contents in each pack etc. Producing lesser or poor quality products and not as per specification is a risk which company X needs to constantly be aware off. To mitigate such risks the company X should develop a well defined production policy develop a well defined Quality control and checks policy develop a well defined storage and Distribution policy Environmental risks: The company does not use and generate hazardous substances in its manufacturing operations. Hence the chances that the company may in future are subject to liabilities relating to the investigation and clean-up of contaminated areas is negligible. However the company should have a laid down policy of disposal of waste at pre-designed disposal points mainly for the rejected, expired and damaged items of raw materials, finished products and packing materials. Volatility of export orders: Some customers and sectors served by the company are directly dependent on general economic development, competition and frequent fluctuations in demand for their products. The prices for these products are, in part, dependent on the prevailing relationship between supply and demand. Possible price fluctuations are therefore apt to have a direct influence on each customers working capital management decisions, with subsequent influence on the customers Order Intake. This may lead to volatility in the development of Order Intake of the company. The company has a policy of geographically diversifying its customer base, as also expanding the customer base in each export market, so that transfer to less volatile locations can be made in short notice. Price Competition in the local export market: The Company does business in very competitive local and export markets. In spite of the competition the company has a 70% market share in the local market and its export business is expanding.Both these local and export markets in which it competes are highly fragmented, with a few large, international manufacturers competing against each other and against a high number of smaller, local companies. Sometimes new entrants or existing players suddenly lower their prices to get rid of the companys products. This has, in some cases, adversely impacted sales margins realized by certain of companys products. To mitigate this risk the company has taken the following steps: Maintaining complete information of its Competitors with respect to their latest technological developments, market strategies, new investments, management changes etc. Has developed emergency alternative plans to introduce different product ranges with minimal structural changes with similar or lower prices. Currency fluctuation for export orders:The Company exports its products to a large number of countries like Canada, USA, Australia, African countries, and the Middle East. Almost all export orders of the company are fixed in US dollars. Since Omani Rail is pegged with US Dollars, the fluctuation of the currencies in would have negligible impact on the export realizations at company X. Company X has a policy of booking export orders in terms of US dollars to avoid the risk of currency fluctuations. Managing Operational Risks: Being a chocolate manufacturing company, it deals with the retail market. The most important risks are those of Operational risks. Operational risk is associated with human error, system failures and inadequate procedures and controls. It is the risk of loss arising from the potential that inadequate information system; technology failures, breaches in internal controls, fraud, unforeseen catastrophes, or other operational problems may result in unexpected losses or reputation problems. Fire Allied risks: These are general risks applicable to almost all establishments. This includes Material damage to the companys property due to Fire lightning, Earthquake, Third party impact, Accidental damage, explosion, riot strike, storm tempest, burst pipes, Own Vehicle impact, malicious damage, and theft. The company should take necessary steps in mitigating such risks by taking â€Å"Property All Risks Insurance Policy† â€Å"Loss of profit insurance cover† Machinery breakdown/ obsolescence: This risk identified is a major risk element as the company has been established two decades earlier by using imported refurbished Plant and machinery. Though most of the machinery is in running condition as of now the chances of spare part obsolescence is quite high in a majority of such machines. The physical status and the possible mitigation for major machinery can be shown in ANNEXTURE II Volatility of Raw Material/ Packing Material prices: The Company faces a medium level risk in its Raw material Packing material prices. The main raw materials at are Sugar, Glucose, Milk Powder, vegetable fat, coconut, coco whey powders. The packing material required is Wrappers, Bags, Gift boxes, Gift Tins and cartoons. Other than a few packing materials almost all of the raw materials and packing materials are imported as shown below Quality risk Raw material Packing material: This is a medium sized risk and the company should take reasonable care to mitigate such risks. Since the majority of the raw materials and packing materials are imported by the company, the purchase committee should implementing a stringent policy of Should have a multiple suppliers from the same country or region. Should have proper Quality checks for each Consignment while receiving delivery. Should have a stringent penalty clause on variation of specifications in the agreements with suppliers. Delivery risk of Suppliers: This is major risk element at the company because of the fact that in most cases purchases are imported and made through Letter of Credits. Non Delivery or delayed delivery in such purchases may affect the performance of the company. The company is implementing proper penalty clauses in the purchase agreement for delayed and/ or non-delivery of the ordered items. Transporting risks: In case of local sales, the company transports the products mostly through its own personnel. The company therefore, takes a general Transit Insurance policy covering accidents and theft. Inventory carrying risk: Inventory Carrying risks are of three types: Storage risk Overstocking under stocking risk Expiry risk Storage risk The storage policies currently are The company can keeps the entire inventory in closed warehouses. Over-stocking Under-stocking: The company can maintain a good optimized production planning system in correlation with its sales plan so that it can have a optimum stocking policy. The current production plan is quite satisfactory and hence the risk is low to medium. But the company is mostly dependent on Export market, the volatility of export orders may lead to overstocking or under-stocking of inventory. Expiry risks: This risk is low to medium. Expiry risks of inventory can be mitigated by proper planning of Sales, Purchase, Production and Distribution. The Storekeeper needs to maintain up-to-date records. A system is being implemented to provide on-line information about the stock position i.e. the quantity in stock, Re-order period, Ordering level and the Expiry dates of each of the Raw material, packing material and finished stocks to the Sales, Production and Purchase department so that immediate action can be taken by the respective departments. Manpower Availability risks: There is a shortage of skilled manpower in Oman. This is however met with the expatriate staff employed mainly from the sub-continent. The company therefore faces a medium risk in terms of availability of skilled manpower. The company can met unskilled manpower availability with the local Omani population and also from expatriate staff. The gap of skilled labor availability is likely to increase and therefore the costs also increase. To mitigate such risks, the company can develop long term strategy to invest in higher capacity production machines so that the requirement of manpower is kept low. Accidents: The Company can face a chance of accidents at the factory, however the accident risks at the company is low, as it does not deal with hazardous material and the production processes are not complex. However the company may face risks from mechanical or electrical installations which cant be entirely ruled out. So the company needs to take the following steps: By providing ELCB (Electric Leakage Circuit Breakers) in all electrical circuits and ACBs for the main transformers By providing Hot masks to the manpower Having a good machinery breakdown policy Constant monitoring of the gas line leakages The company needs have a Manpower Accidents and Injury Policy to cover the possibility of injury or death of manpower within the factory premises. Managing Reputation Risks Reputation of the company may also get hamper in various situations some of which are Contamination-hygiene: Being in the Food sector the company should take utmost precaution to avoid any sort of contamination in its products which will reach to the general mass. The company should take precaution for the quality of the raw material and packing material that is required for the entire production process and the stocking procedure. The company can follow the following policy: Stringent Quality control checks of Raw materials and packing materials Stringent Quality checks of the entire production process Maintaining Hygiene standards of the Government of Oman both in production and stocking. Sample testing at each stage Have a third Party damage policy insurance coverage owing to contamination Product expiry/Shelf life risks: This is again a very vital risk to the company as it is in the Food sector. The Government of Oman is very stringent in its laws to avoid expired products to be sold to the general public. So the company should take utmost care to avoid this risk by providing a stringent Distribution policy of its finished products Checks and controls before distribution of products. Monitoring distributed products on a daily basis Attributing Responsibility to a Senior Personnel for the management Corporate Governance: Corporate Governance Policies and Procedures manual are already in place at the company. Hence the risk associated with it is low. The management has to ensure proper compliance of the policies already undertaken to avoid any risk of reputation arising out of non-compliance of corporate governance. Managing Credit Risks: Credibility Risk of Customers: The Company should develop a credit policy based on regions, volume and credibility ranking of the parties. Export: The Company exports to a wide range of countries. The contacts of customers are mainly through visits and through mail. It is initially very difficult to assess the credibility of the customers abroad. The risk element is therefore medium and high. The company should mitigate this risk in the following manner: The company should back up the export orders by Letter of Credit from the parties. In case L/C mode is not practicable, the company can ask for advance payments or Security deposit, or post dated cheques which will cover the entire order taken prior to effecting delivery of the goods. The company currently did not enter into any distribution agreement with any export party and deals with parties on a case to case basis The Company can set up a network of distributors for handling exports sales as far as practicable. The company can also set up more than one distributor; in each region/country, so that price advantage can be achieved through minimal risk. The company should select distributors with proven track record, and the distributorship agreement should be through a internationally binding legal contract. Local: Local sales are affected by the company mainly to retail customers like supermarkets and hypermarkets, small shops and to two distributors in the interior. The company should take the following steps: Sale to all hypermarkets and supermarkets where the volumes are above a certain limit are, as far as possible, affected by means of an annual contract with all modalities and terms and conditions clearly laid out. For single shop outlets, the company may face the risk of shop closing down and non-payment or delayed payment. To counter this company should maintain small stocks with such shops and should have a regular but frequent collection system. In case of distributors the company should have legally binding distribution agreements. Limit setting: An important element of credit risk management is to establish exposure limits for each single customer and distributors. The compan

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Life of Frederick Douglass Essay -- African American social reforme

Escaping slavery in 1838, Frederick Douglass informed citizens of the cruel abuse that many slaves and he experienced from their masters. Frederick Douglass was a self-educated African American while also being under the chains of slavery. As Douglass rises to admiration upon abolitionists, he writes many stories describing the difficulties and encounters he witnessed and experienced as a slave. In the book, The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Douglass describes the clothing, food and horrific conditions he overcame as a slave. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery by his estranged mother, Harriet Bailey and his unknown white father, assumed to be Captain Anthony. Like the majority of slaves, Douglass is unknown of his actual birthdate, rumored to be born around Valentine’s Day in the year 1817 or 1818. Generally, a slave owner will keep his slaves uninformed by keeping simple information from them, such as birth dates and their biological father. Those who were mixed, black and white, were beaten and whipped, and were worse off than those of darker skin, due to the overseers’ wife’s growing suspicion of her husband interrelating with a slave. As part of the transition to becoming a slave, Douglass was taken from his mother to break the natural mother and child bond. As a child, Douglass lived with his grandmother and rarely saw his mother. On rare occasions, his mother would travel twelve miles to his farm after she finished all her work to see him as he slept. Douglass’ mot her passed away, as usual, he is not allowed to attend her funeral. All slaves were treated as if they were not human and not allowed to have privileges white people experienced. Overworked and exhausted, slaves were living... ...tates in his book, â€Å"Without Struggle There Is No Success† (Douglass). In other words, most people cannot expect to achieve a goal without failing. Frederick Douglass describes the different conditions he experienced and witnessed in the book, The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. As an educated and free black man, Frederick Douglass made it his goal to get his story out to the nation, so that the citizens will know the true colors of slavery. In Douglass’ writings, he illustrates to the reader the horror and authenticity of captivity. Although the place of his captivity was not as major as other slaves in slave states, he describes to the audience blood wrenching details of his encounters. Frederick Douglass becomes a well-known face to the abolitionists’ community and goes on to accomplish several goals, including supporting women’s rights.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

American Beauty :: Film Movies American Beauty Essays

American Beauty American Beauty tells the story of one man's search for happiness. The film introduces the audience to Lester Burnham, an ordinary- looking married man and father in his forties. Lester is in a loveless marriage. Lester's wife, Carolyn, is so wrapped-up in her real estate career that Lester often claims that Carolyn doesn't even acknowledge him. Furthermore, Lester's daughter, Jane, is completely distant, often claiming how "pathetic" she thinks her father is. Moreover, Lester has dedicated fourteen years to his occupation, and suddenly, he is in danger of losing his job due to downsizing. All of these factors dramatically effect Lester and culminate into feelings of desperation and vulnerability for him. Lester is therefore in search of an escape and a rebirth. He is seeking the slightest possibility of happiness. Throughout the story Lester is consistently reminiscing on his past; wishing he could have it back. In the beginning portions of the story, Lester, as the narrator, state s that "it is never too late to regain your past." The catalyst to this frame of thought is Jane's friend, Angela. Lester feels excited by the thought that a teen-age girl thinks he is "hot." Lester overhears Angela state that she would have sex with him if Lester would start working-out and build-up his body. This drives Lester to change himself completely. Lester, in desperate search of happiness , finds an escape in Angela. Much like a hormone-driven teenage boy, Lester thinks that if he can "score" with a "bombshell" like Angela, then he will be reborn. Lester's mission for happiness and escape is further perpetuated by his eighteen year old neighbor, Ricky. In Ricky, Lester sees his model for rebirth. Lester calls Ricky his "hero" and is in awe of Ricky's confidence. Lester, then begins a transformation back to his stereotypical understanding of what a teenager is. Lester begins to work-out, smoke pot, and drink beer. Much like a teen, he rebels against responsibility by quitti ng his job and; therefore, bypassing his duties as a provider to his daughter and wife. Furthermore, Lester spontaneously, trades in his Mercedes automobile for a 1970's cherry-red Trans Am sports car. In addition, Lester pursues a job with the least amount of responsibility. He finds that job in a fast food restaurant. All of these actions are deemed necessary to Lester because this is the way to escape and thus achieving happiness.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Regions Chart

PoliticalAs a result of the growth of industry and social change, political views often clashed. Labor unions formed first in the Northeast. Miners and steelworkers were some of the first workers to use the strike as a bargaining tool against business owners. Laws that allowed segregation and discrimination made it hard for southern African Americans to enjoy the improved transportation of the Second Industrial Revolution. Discriminatory laws and riots due to increased tension between immigrants and white settlers. Labor unions were active in the cities. Social reform movements arose in Ohio and Illinois. In rural areas, farmers were also politically active. It was a region in which social and political campaigns took root. SocialThe growth of industry highlighted the gap between rich and poor. Wealthy entrepreneurs wanted to increase profits. Workers wanted better wages and working conditions. The post-Civil War South continued to have problems related to race. New laws regarding se gregation made it hard for southern African Americans to enjoy the improved and rebuilt transportation. The willingness of the immigrants from China to work for lower wages and the cultural differences between them and the white settlers led to friction. Like the Northeast, the Midwest had waves of immigrants come to its cities. The gap between rich and poor was a source of friction. Economic orType of EconomyThe Northeast remained the leading industrial region in the Second Industrial Revolution. New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania produced more than 85 percent of all U.S. industrial products in 1890. The war ended slavery, which took away the South's main source of labor. Although it remained mostly agricultural, the South began developing its timber industry. Coal and iron deposits in the southern Appalachian Mountains gave rise to steel  production in Birmingham, Alabama. Agriculture became more efficient in the Midwest and also encouraged settlers to obtain land in the West. However, the sparse population of the West did not support much industrial growth, and the economy continued to be based on natural resources. This region experienced economic growth in both farming and manufacturing. The upper Midwest states became centers of industry and a hub for shipping and transport.Population ChangeThe rapid growth of a manufacturing economy created a need for workers. Cities in the Northeast became destinations for the immigrants that came to the United States. By 1870 about 15 percent of the U.S. population was foreign born. About one of every five industrial workers was an immigrant. Most of these immigrants settled in the Northeast. Many African Americans left the South to work in new factories in the North and Midwest. There they had a better chance of earning good wages and improving their economic and social standing. Immigrants from China arrived in the West looking for jobs on the expanding railroads. The thinly spread population of the West di d not support much industrial growth. Cities grew rapidly, attracting large numbers of immigrants. Chicago, Illinois became one of the nation's largest cities during this period. In 1860, the city's population was about 110,000. In 1890, more than one million people lived there.TransportationAlmost 200,000 miles of railroad line connected cities in the Northeast by 1900. Most industry and rail transportation were destroyed during the Civil War. By the 1880s, however, the South had begun to rebuild. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 linked the coasts of United States. Railways transported natural resources like timber and gold from the West to the East The development of railways made Chicago a gateway between the East and West. Trains carried goods from eastern manufacturers, to be shipped north to the Upper Midwest and west across the Great Plains.Explain how the Second Industrial Revolution affected the North, South, West, and Midwest. Which region would you have preferred to live in during this period? Why?The Second Industrial Revolution affected the North, South, West, and Midwest with changes such as population, transportation, and economy changes. The rapid growth of the manufacturing economy in each region created a need for workers attracting many immigrants. By 1870 about 15 percent of the U.S. population was foreign born and, about one of every five industrial workers was an immigrant. In addition, each region also developed and improved their transportation system, usually, by railroads. These railroads connected cities and were used to transport natural resources and goods from manufacturers to other places.Moreover, each region had their own type of economy. The northeast remained the leading industrial region and the south and west maintained a developing agricultural economy but, the west’s sparse population did not support much industrial growth. Also, the Midwest experienced economic growth in both farming and man ufacturing.Furthermore, if I had to live in a certain region during the Second Industrial Revolution period I would prefer to live in the northwest region which was the leading industrial region in both the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution. The rapid growth of the economy begged for more workers so it would have been easy for me to find a job and provide for my family. The northeast region benefited, improved, flourished more than any other region in both Industrial Revolutions and I would have wanted to be a part of that experience.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Fredric Jameson and the No Wave Art Movement Essay

In postmodern art, history is self-consciously reappropriated and re-fashioned into new forms. Postmodern art, Jameson argues, was a logical outcome of late-capitalism, which in its late stage has allowed society to abolish the distinction between high culture and mass culture, producing a culture of degradation. This was first taken up as an aesthetic by Andy Warhol. In the text, Postmodernism: Style and Subversion, 1970-1990, Adamson and Pavitt note that Jameson, â€Å"found Warhol’s glittering series Diamond Dust Shoes to be particularly unnerving because of its incorporation of ommodity culture† (70). Art, according to both Warhol and Jameson is above all, a commodity, something to be bought and sold. Warhol’s work illustrates Jameson’s contention that, â€Å"Aesthetic production today has become integrated into commodity production† (4). This conflation of art and commodity creates a field of cultural production that is incapable of depth and v aluable social critique. According to Jameson, the abstract aesthetic of modernism was an expression of the new social forms of abstraction specif ic to capitalism. In modernism, the universalization of the money-form manifests as a range of social abstractions including, for example, society’s dominant â€Å"way of seeing† and representing the world aesthetically. In the age of global capitalism, the utopian sublime of modernism, to which Jameson referred, has disappeared, and has been replaced by the postmodern cultural logic of consumption. With the universalization of capitalism, the distinction between culture and economics has collapsed. In postmodernism everything, including art and culture, is subject to the logic of commodif ication. In the text, The Cultural Turn, Jameson submits that postmodernity â€Å"makes the cultural economic at the same time that it turns the economic into so many forms of culture† (81). This essay submits that the No Wave art movement that occurred between 1974 – 1984 in New York’s Lower East Side is indeed postmodern, by Jameson’s standards, and yet resists this conflation of art and commodity that Jameson maintains is characteristic of this paradigm. Jameson’s text, Postmodernism, suggests that with art’s entry into the commodity sphere art becomes propelled not by ideas but by money (Adamson et. al, 70). John N. Duvall is critical of Jameson’s linkage between culture and commodif ication in the postmodern context. Duvall writes in his text, Troping History, â€Å"It is precisely change that, for Jameson, can no longer be imagined in postmodernism, since aesthetic production has been subsumed by commodity production, thus emptying the modernist aesthetic of affect and hence of political effect† (4). Jameson’s characterization of postmodern art as enveloped in commodif ication overlooks art produced during this period that consciously existed outside the margins of the art market and acted as a resistance to the conditions of a commodif ied artistic arena. As alluded to by Duvall in the previous quotation, Jameson does not account for the possibility of political art production in postmoderism. As Perry Anderson notes, â€Å"by the positioning of the postmodern between aesthetics and economics,† Jameson omits, â€Å"a sense of culture as a battlefield, that divides protagonists. That is the plane of politics understood as a space in its own right† (18). As Marvin J. Taylor describes, â€Å"Downtown artists were profoundly aware of the failure of modernist revolutions, but were unwilling to abandon the possibility of a better world† (22) 1. It is precisely this urge for a better world that Jameson contends is an impossibility in the context of late-capitalism, and absent from postmodern art production. To classify the No Wave Art Movement as postmodern requires a working definition of this cultural epoch. The postmodern paradigm is commonly associated with a range of aesthetic practices, involving irony, parody, self-consciousness, fragmentation, playful selfreflexivity and parataxis (Waugh, 325). Characterized largely by the qualities of appropriation and simulation many postmodern artists addressed mass media and commodif ication in their 1 The terms â€Å"No Wave† and â€Å"Downtown scene† are used synonymously in essays that describe movement. So too are these terms used interchangeably in this essay. work, including those artists in the No Wave Movement, specif ically Barabara Kruger, who came out of this movement and whom we look to specif ically at the end of this paper. As Glen Ward notes in his description of the chronology of postmodernism, â€Å"More complex ideas about postmodernism quickly infiltrated the art world. Next to painting, photography and media-based work regained the limelight in the mid-1980s by seeming to provide a more obviously political postmodernism† (41). Rather than being incorporated into the late-capitalist system some theorists argue that postmodern art is a response to capitalist corruption, voicing an opposition to the world of commodities rather than becoming entrenched in it. There is no shortage of theorists and critics who have characterized the No Wave Art movement within the postmodern paradigm. As Carlo Mccormick describes in his essay, A Crack in Time, which appears in The Downtown Book, â€Å"†¦ etween 1974 and 1984 in Downtown Manhattan occurred the true postmodern moment: a time when modernism was most certainly dead and, unmoored from its schematics, creativity was based on flux, uncertainty, and searching† (71). The No Wave Art movement can be characterized by several recurrent postmodern themes including notions of authenticity; the Downto wn scene questioned the function of terms like authorship, originality, appropriation and tied them to the transgressive practices of theft, piracy and plagiarism. The second recurrent theme explored in the No Wave scene included performativity; challenging notions of representation in an environment of fragmented and multiple identities. Thirdly, the No Wave art scene is inextricably linked to its politics. As Taylor describes, Downtown art was activist and aggressive. Work was informed by the feminist movement, queer activism, AIDs, and poverty in postwar United States. As an expression of these politics, the No Wave Movement sought to criticize notions of institutional accreditation. This included an exploration of power structures, including the role of education, technical skills and technique. In her description of the Downtown Scene Gumpbert writes, â€Å"What so many Downtown artists of this era did share is that they conceived their work as alternative, if not outright subversive, vis-a-vis traditional curatorial and exhibition practices. Incorrigibly and resolutely defiant, Downtown artists interrogated systems of accreditation, broke down generic disciplines, and directly engaged with political issues† (14). Artists of the No Wave Art scene engaged with the political issues that plagued New York City at the time. This signif ies a potent antithesis to Jameson’s notion of postmodern art as vacuous and incapable of politicization. Taylor writes, â€Å"Suspicious of easy assimilation into the traditional Uptown art scene, Downtown artists mounted a full-scale assault on the structures of society that had led to grinding poverty, homelessness, the Vietnam War, nuclear power, misogyny, racism homophobia and a host of other social problems† (22). As an aesthetic movement the No Wave Art scene stood as a highly politicized rejection of the evolution of art as commodity. It was also a domain of extreme artistic production, â€Å"â€Å"From graffiti art to appropriation to Neo-Geo, virtually every major development in American art during that period seems to have originated in one or more of the mostly small, mostly storefront spaces that sprang up in the contested urban zones that characterized a neighbourhood in the early stages of transition from slum to middle-class playground† (Gumpert, 84). The scene existed actively outside the art market, residing largely in â€Å"informal alternative spaces† (Gumpert, 13). As an expression of an alternative antiestablishment attitude much of the work produced at this time took the form of graffiti art or performance art. According to Gumpert, â€Å"Artists, took to the streets in the late 1970s† (11). Notable artists of this time include, the graffiti works of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Herrings works in the city’s subway platforms and on sidewalks and Richard Hambleton, whose work appeared in poorly lit downtown alleys and construction sites (11). The No Wave movement was also composed of a subcultural punk scene, a host of postmodern writers and experimental filmmakers and video artists. Most famously perhaps was the Times Square Show, that took place in 1980 in an empty massage parlour, with works from more than a hundred artists. These examples demonstrate the desire of many of the artists in the No Wave art movement to â€Å"breakout of the framework of the established art world† (11). The work that is categorized as No Wave was characterized by a certain ephemerality, which allowed the artists and their works to resist the constraints of the commercial market. This offers a critique of Jameson’s assumption that art produced in the postmodern paradigm is inextricably linked with an economic motivation. As Gumpert explains in the forward for the text, The Downtown Book: The New York Art Scene 1974 – 1984, A majority of the works [shown in these spaces] were process oriented and situationally specif ic, involving a relationship between materials, concepts, actions and locations. They were sometimes spontaneous, improvisational, open-ended, and often collaborative. The works existed within a given time and then ceased to exist. As a result much of this work was labeled ephemeral, the intent being to create an experience rather than a product, and new terms were devised to describe it, such as installation and performance†¦ During this period†¦ artists out of necessity created and took control of their own contexts (10) In order to preserve much of the ephemeral work produced between 1974 – 1984 in New York, it was archived and documented in photographs, notes, and films. Irving Sandler accounts for the motives behind documentation in the No Wave art scene, â€Å"[they’re] sympathies were countercultural, they believed that the documentation of a work was not art and thus not salable. They had turned to process art†¦ installation art, body art, and conceptual art because they did not want to create art commodities. Many also believed†¦ that their refusal to produce salable objects would subvert the art market† (24). This demonstrates a anti-market sentiment in the production of postmodern No Wave art. Jameson does not account for this type of art production in the theories that he forwards in his text, Postmodernism. Writing about the No Wave literature, Robert Siegle identif ies a central insurgency against established structures of culture that existed in New York at that time. He wrote, â€Å"It is, then, an insurgency, but not one that expects to break free of some kind of specif ic corrupt institution. It is an insurgency against the silence of institutions, the muteness of the ideology of form, the unspoken violence of normalization† (4). Siegle describes No Wave writing as quintessentially postmodern in its approach to the â€Å"silence of institutions† and to the â€Å"position of the speaking subject†. Rather than attempting to overthrow institutions, No Wave literature, according to Siegle, is premised on the attempt to understand how the discourse of institutions constructs who we are, thereby using that knowledge to problematize cultural discourse. Although in his text, Suburban Ambush: Downtown Writing and the Fiction of Insurgency, Siegle speaks specif ically of writing, this assessment applies equally to all artists in the No Wave scene. Through the deployment of the postmodern techniques that Jameson describes, artwork in the No Wave context, was far from the depthless commodity that Jameson imagined. It was rather highly political, productive and subversive. In his text, Postmodernism and Consumer Society, Jameson furthers his claims that in postmodernism expressive depth is replaced by an aesthetic superficiality in a phenomenon that he describes as â€Å"the waning of affect†. This â€Å"waning† is directly associated to a diminished political imagination. Jameson uses a comparison of the work of painter Edvard Munch and Andy Warhol to evidence this modern to postmodern shift. He contends that in postmodernism historical depth is replaced by nostalgia. Simultaneously, parody is replaced by pastiche, and an art of surface and loss is substituted for a history which â€Å"remains forever out of reach† (198). Jameson feels, â€Å"it is no longer clear what artists and writers of the present period are supposed to be doing† (196). This invoking of nostalgia and pastiche creates a condition in which artists can only comment upon or reproduce past art. This is articulated with Jameson’s description of postmodern art practice as being characterized by â€Å"the failure of the new, the imprisonment in the past† (196). In, The Postmodern Turn, Kellner and Best describe Jameson’s theory noting, â€Å"Coolness, blankness, and apathy become new moods for the decelerating, recessionary postmodern condition in an age of downsizing and diminishing expectations† (134). Jameson seems to articulate his own failings in his description of postmodern art. He admits that he is confounded by the postmodern and political work of Hans Haacke who questioned the institution and capitalism through his postmodern art installations. Of Hacke, Jameson writes, â€Å"The case of Haacke poses, however, a†¦ problem, for his is a kind of cultural production which is clearly postmodern and equally clearly political and oppositional – something that does not compute within the paradigm and does not seem to have been theoretically foreseen by it† (159). The No Wave art movement equally confounds Jameson’s theory towards a postmodern art that is bound by a sense of complicity. Much critique has been garnered by Jameson’s position on the art of the postmodern. Theorist Linda Hutcheon is critical of Jameson’s positioning of pastiche as a baseless technique, But the looking to both the aesthetic and the historical past in postmodernist architecture is anything but what Jameson describes as pastiche, that is â€Å"the random cannibalization of all the styles of the past, the play of random stylistic allusion. † There is absolutely nothing random or â€Å"without principle† in the parodic recall and re-examination of the past†¦ To include irony and play is never necessarily to exclude seriousness of purpose in post-modernist art. To misunderstand this is to misunderstand the nature of much contemporary aesthetic production – even if it does make for neater theorizing. (26 -27) Downtown artists actively sought to address this issue of art production within a capitalist system. Their work is characterized by a postmodern multiplicity. In his essay on the Downtown scene, Siegle notes, Far from being defeated by contradictions, these postmoderns take form it the cue for an alternative logic. Far from being rendered hopeless by the seemingly inevitable drift of (inter)national politics, they borrow form disinformation the ironic habitation of familiar forms for cross-purposes. Far from being paralyzed by the anxiety of past masters’ influence, they appropriate them for commentary on classic motifs (such as mastery, originality, autonomy, representation) and art-world structures (such as publishing houses, galleries, museums, and criticism). Far from feeling compromised by the investment economics of art, they turn the art market into a microcosm of consumer capitalism and subvert its operations. 10) No Wave artists, though they invoked themes of capitalism, were in fact openly critical of it. They did not create art with the intention of financial gain. Taylor presents Bourdieu’s theory on cultural capital to elucidate the artistic practices of those in the No Wave art scene and their pursuit for symbolic capital rather than economic. He writes, â€Å"If th e whole field of cultural production could be thought of as all those artists, poets, musicians, editors, publishers, critics, performers†¦ hen there could be subsets of this group who did not all conform to the desire for economic capital, but rather, and mostly because their work was experimental, sought â€Å"symbolic capital† from their peers† (31). Jameson argued that postmodernism marks the final and complete incorporation of culture into the commodity system. This integration The No Wave art scene, in fact, actively critiqued this condition. Though the No Wave Art movement occurred under the conditions of late-capitalism, the work produced during this period does not embody this notion of depthless commodity Jameson maintains is the primary characteristic of postmodern art. Barbara Kruger is an example of a No Wave artist whose work engages with themes of the media and the market while being simultaneously postmodern, anti-capitalist, and political. Kruger’s work, particularly her piece, Untitled, (When I hear the word culture I take out my cheque-book), serves as a response to the commodity culture postmodernism is so entrenched in. This work directly addresses Jameson’s concern that postmodern art is incapable of an authentic engagement with politicization. Kruger evokes many postmodern themes in her work yet avoids the non-criticality of commodif ied art practice that Jameson forwards. Kruger invokes the postmodern technique of pastiche recombining previously articulated styles while actively producing new meanings through this act re-appropriation. For Jameson, â€Å"Pastiche is a recycling of the past without the critical edge of satire or the subversive role of parody; it is a gesture to the past in a mediasaturated culture that lives in a perpetual present† (Murphie, Potts, Macmillan, 58). Where Jameson forwarded the notion that pastiche was merely â€Å"blank parody† (184) Kruger enacts pastiche as a meaningful technique. As noted in Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970 – 1990, â€Å"She managed to break the conceptual barrier between art and mass media by selecting images from magazines from the 40s and 50s. Choosing them based on their poses and presenting phrases over them†¦ Stereotypes were thus turned into the vehicle for delivery of a totally different message† (368). Some of the postmodern themes deployed by Kruger include, the questioning of meta-narrative tructures, highlighting the decentred nature of contemporary culture, and the divorcing of sign and signif ier. In her work Kruger operates within the language and iconic system of consumer culture while offering a critique of those very conditions. As outlined in this essay Jameson’s theory of the cultural logic of late-capitalism fails to identify the critical aspect th at characterized much of the work produced under the conditions of postmodernism. This is specif ically demonstrated through the work of No Wave artists operating out of New york in the 1970s and 80s. While invoking the aesthetic themes common to postmodernism the work produced in the No Wave scene was highly political and did not act as a static representation of commodif ied art culture. The work of Barbara Kruger specif ically dealt with the concern of art as existing in a commodif ied global economy rather than simply falling victim to it. It was in fact the movement’s shift towards commodity that marked the No Wave’s scene’s decline. The year 1984 is signif icant to this movement’s trajectory. In his essay entitled, Playing the Field: The Downtown Scene and Cultural Production, An Introduction Marvin J. Taylor writes, â€Å"By 1984 the larger art world had encroached on the scene. That same year Mary Boone displayed and began to sell Basquiat’s paintings for up to $20, 000†¦ The major art journals, galleries, and auction houses had co-opted the restricted field of Downtown art, creating superstars and an influx of economic capital that would eventually overtake the symbolic capital† (36). It was exactly this move into the realm of the market that ended the production of postmodern art within the Downtown scene. Postmodern artists active in the No Wave art movement Jameson’s proposition that art made under postmodern conditions is incapable of exacting a political message. Works Cited: Adamson, Glenn, Jane Pavitt, and Paola Antonelli. Postmodernism: Style and Subversion, 1970-1990. London: V&A Pub. , 2011. Bertens, Hans. The Idea of Postmodernism: A History. London: Routledge, 1995. Cameron, Dan. East Village USA. New York: New Museum of Contemporary Art, 2004. Duvall, John N. Productive Postmodernism: Consuming Histories and Cultural Studies. Albany: State University of New York, 2002. Hager, Steven. Art after Midnight: The East Village Scene. New York: St. Martin’s, 1986. Hutcheon, Linda. A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction. New York: Routledge, 1988. Jameson, Fredric. Postmodernism, Or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Durham: Duke UP, 1991. Jameson, Fredric. The Cultural Turn: Selected Writings on the Postmodern, 1983-1998. London: Verso, 1998. Kellner, Douglas, and Sean Homer. Fredric Jameson: A Critical Reader. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Murphie, Andrew, and John Potts. Culture and Technology. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Perry Anderson. The Origins of Postmodernity. London: Verso, 1998. Sandler, Irving. Art of the Postmodern Era: From the Late 1960s to the Early 1990s. New York: Icon Editions, 1996 Siegle, Robert. Suburban Ambush: Downtown Writing and the Fiction of Insurgency. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989. Taylor, Marvin J. The Downtown Book: The New York Art Scene, 1974-1984. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2006. Ward, Glenn. Postmodernism. Chicago: Contemporary, 2003. Print. Wheale, Nigel. The Postmodern Arts: An Introductory Reader. London: Routledge, 1995.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz The year of 1939 was a great year for classical movie lovers. With Gone with the Wind, Mr.. Smith goes to Washington, Withering Heights, and The Wizard of Oz. This year during the Great Depression gave us more classics than most years combined. The Great Depression was one of the mall reasons behind the making of all of these movies; the dark and bleak times needed a getaway, a place to escape to where ones troubles don't matter, the movies were that getaway. On average sixty- one percent of America went to the movies at least once a week, and It Is not very art to believe, looking at the movies from that time.People were enthralled by the new color movies, the first being Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, by Walt Disney which was made two years earlier. It had been a major hit, and MGM wanted to get Into the Lime-light given off by Idleness great success. That Is one of the reasons behind his making of The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz Is a timeless class ic based off of the popular 1900 children's book written by L. Frank Bum. The book's actual title is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It came from a widely popular hillside's book series based on the fantastical Land of Oz.Some say this story is a parody on the movement started by William Jennings Bryant. He believed in the value of silver, and the importance of the factory workers, and farmers of the industrial revolution. This translated into Bum's books, bringing the name Oz to this land, the abbreviation for ounces, Oz. The witch of the east represents the bankers of the east, ruining lives, and the west was the west coast elite. The good Fairy Glenda of the north, represents the north and the south, The industrial workers of he north, and the farmers of the south. The yellow brick road originates from the gold standard.Dorothy Silver, turned ruby in the film, slippers represent the opportunity, and prosperity and hope behind silver, how if used as a currency America could flourish. The scarecrow represents farmers, they have the conviction, but they couldn't think for themselves being ‘simple-minded'. The Tin Man stands for the Industrial workers, rusted and without conviction; while the Cowardly Lion stands for William Jennings Bryan himself, his roar being loud and heard often, while he had title to nothing political power. The Wizard of Oz, representing the president.Drowning the witch of the west, the Wizard of Oz leaves In a Hot Alarm balloon, leaving the Scarecrow in charge of the great emerald city, which Is translated over to be Washington, and the Tin Man, the west. The greatest new Invention by Walt Disney, the color film, was all the rage. The very first color movie ever had been Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It was a major hit, Disney had gained popularity with his Short animations, first Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, then with the more well known Mackey mouse, after Oswald had gotten swindled from him by one of his co-workers.MGM wanted to ge t into that popularity, and the major cash involved with making color movies at the time. So he went to find a good director, and a good story. He found that in Victor Fleming, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. By semimonthlies combined. The Great Depression was one of the main reasons behind the making of where ones troubles don't matter, the movies were that getaway. On average sixty- one percent of America went to the movies at least once a week, and it is not very onto the Lime-light given off by Disney's great success.That is one of the reasons books actual title is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It came from a widely popular but they couldn't think for themselves being ‘simple-minded'. The Tin Man stands for the industrial workers, rusted and without conviction; while the Cowardly Lion stands Drowning the witch of the west, the Wizard of Oz leaves in a Hot Air balloon, leaving the Scarecrow in charge of the great emerald city, which is translated over to be The greatest new i nvention by Walt